ISLAMABAD: Eid-ul-Adha is being celebrated on Saturday with religious zeal and fervour across Pakistan amid coronavirus preventive measures, to honour the supreme sacrifice of Prophet Hazrat Ibrahim (AS).

The day dawned with special prayers in mosques for the well-being of the Ummah and progress, prosperity, and security of the country.

Religious scholars, in their Eid sermons will highlight the importance to follow the Sunnah of Hazrat Ibrahim (AS). In the Federal Capital, the main Eid congregation will be held at the Faisal Mosque.

Following the Eid prayers, Muslims will perform the ritual of sacrificing animals, spend their time feasting with family and friends, and distribute sacrificial meat among their family members, friends, and the poor.

The government has advised the faithful to follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for containing the COVID-19 while performing the ritual of sacrificing animals. It also urged that while offering Eid prayers, they should keep distance, and avoid hugging others and instead extend only greetings.

President Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan have urged upon the nation to be more dedicated to the cause of Eid-ul Adha and help the poor and needy, particularly in a situation amid coronavirus.

In his message to the nation on Eid-ul-Adha, President Alvi said while celebrating an occasion with a spirit of sacrifice, one must not forget the deserving people. The president felicitated the entire Pakistani nation and the Islamic world on Eid-ul-Adha, and said that “surely this happy occasion will bring a lot of happiness and accomplishments in our life”.

He said Allah Almighty tested His chosen servants by putting them to various challenges. “These great personalities have been fully successful in the tests, giving us a lesson that the key to success is to be steadfast in the face of trials and difficulties and to be ever ready to make any sacrifice” he said.

He mentioned that the whole world was concerned about the coronavirus, which had negatively impacted the people across the globe. He said the pandemic had taken a heavy toll on the world economically, with even the powerful governments struggling to provide relief to their people.

The president quoted a Hadith as saying that when the people around Medina were suffering from famine, Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) forbade them to collect more meat for more than three days (Saheeh Bukhari, hadeeth 5569). “Therefore, one must find the needy people around them and some share of the sacrifice must be delivered to them,” he said.

He stressed that the most important thing at this point was not to ignore the safety measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus. “On this occasion, we should pray to Allah Almighty to protect us from the negative impact of this pandemic. Amen,” he said.

While greeting the nation on the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha, Prime Minister Imran Khan has urged the people to strictly follow Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on Eid-ul-Adha to contain the spread of coronavirus. There should be no needless visits to loved ones and the people should go outside if it were necessary, he said.